Quote Originally Posted by Sebastian
Digital zoom is only a magnification of the center of the frame, something that any software can do. Optical zoom is the actual magnification of the image, much higher quality. However, with larger zoom ranges quality tends to suffer either on the wide or the long end. I ould go for a smaller optical range, ignore the digital zoom altogether, and look for a camera whose lens has small f/stop numbers, like f/2 or f/3. Those will let more light in, which gets you many more benefits than any zoom range.
Thanks for the quick info! What would you recommend if you were to get one. I've been looking at the Sony DSC-P72 or P92, and also was looking at the Olympus C-740. I found some good prices online. I leave for DC on Wed. Night and would like to get one in ASAP.
Thanks for your help!!!!